I’m getting network and computer hardware ready to head to South Africa. This is what I have assembled.
On the top row, there is a PredictWind data hub, which provides weather data and is the overall router for the boat. It provides least-cost routing between Starlink and cellular. Next to that are four N2K network bridges, which will take data from the four major N2K buses and combine them into one. This allows me to power each bus separately, and should something go wrong on one of the buses, it won’t take out the other three. They’re also opto-isolated.
On the bottom row, there is an N2K network bus analyzer, my Raspberry Pi, which will run signal K, an eight-port Ethernet switch, a five-port Ethernet switch with POE, and an INav4U Zora processor. All will be mounted on DIN rails.
I’ve also attached 2 diagrams which show the Ethernet and N2K bus configurations.
N2K Bus Configuration below
Ethernet Configuration below
Looks good. I am adding Zora to Moonbird soon.
Do you have enough Ethernet ports? Smart TVs, Security system, More IP cameras?
Or doing wireless?
Do you have a plan for security? We are using Sentinel but I am not happy with features of current model. New models coming that are better. I think I would prefer BRNKL by Barnacle Systems.
I have 10 usable Ethernet ports, and it would be very easy to add more, plus most things run WiFi. I would actually prefer that most things be connected via WiFi to minimize electrical connections in case of a lightning strike, so this is about the minimum that I could get away with. I could remove the Raspberry Pi from this and just run it wireless.
As far as security goes, no, I really don’t have a plan. The cameras will be viewable remotely, the boat will be reporting its position, and all of the systems can be monitored remotely, but I don’t have any intrusion detection built in.
I saw a boat with a WiFi camera on the top of the mast. It was powered by the 12v going to the anchor light.
It did 2 things. It gave an amazing view when travelling near reefs. This was it’s primary function.
The second was as a security camera with movement zones programmed into it.
I quite liked the system, especially using the power from the anchor light to run it, as there were no more wires required to go up the mast.
I’m thinking of fitting one for maneuvering near reefs.
I have a forward looking camera going up the mast. It will be powered by POE, so no additional cables needed.
We had a forward/down looking masthead camera that was intended for navigating reefs and bommies. It worked brilliantly - so much easier to drop an anchor into the sandy patch if you can see. Equally good for picking up moorings. I had mine teamed with a forward looking sonar and the two feeds aligned on the chart plotter screen - very useful (I will try to find a photo and post it here)
One thing to note - it took a big belt with the lightning and brought the pulse straight down onto the Raynet router - wifi camera sounds like a great option.
I will be replacing it as we rebuild our systems.
